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Italian and EU research projects

Hitachi Rail STS participates in research projects funded by the European Commission, the European Space Agency and the Ministry for Higher Education and Research.

European research projects

The projects funded by the European Commission include:

NGTC (Next Generation Train Control), to develop future railway and metro traffic control systems, in which Hitachi Rail STS played a leading role in the satellite positioning work package and actively participated in the definition of the “IP Communication”; the project was concluded in the third quarter of the year;

MANTIS, funded by the ECSEL Joint Undertaking (public-private party that disburses European Commission funds for innovating embedded systems) and by the Ministry of Research, whose goal is to increase knowledge of the decision-making process for the railway system maintenance;

IN2RAIL, in connection with the Shift2Rail initiative; the project goal is to optimise the railway infrastructure by cutting its construction and maintenance costs and increasing its capacity.

The Shift2Rail project

With regard to European research, the Shift2Rail project began in the latter part of 2016. The initiative’s main goals are:

to double the capacity of the European rail network;

to improve reliability and quality of service by 50%;

to halve the costs over the entire life cycle.

A challenge for “smart, green & integrated” transport.

Hitachi Rail STS is a founding member of this “joint undertaking”, involving another 7 founding members, 19 associates and 32 member states of the European Union for a total investment of approximately EUR 450 million.

As part of this research programme, the following projects are currently being carried out with the participation of Ansaldo STS:

CONNECTA – CONtributing to Shift2Rail's NExt generation of high Capable and safe TCMS and brAkes – which aims to contribute to the next generation of TCMS architecture and components with wireless capabilities, as well as to the upcoming generation of electronic braking systems;

FR8RAIL – Development of functional requirements for sustainable and attractive European rail freight – intended to take on the major challenges for developing sustainable and attractive rail freight traffic in Europe;

PLASA– Smart Planning and Safety for a safer and more robust European railway sector – whose objective is to enhance the customer experience and the robustness of the system in the European railway sector. On the one hand, the objectives regard the improvement of the planning activities of the various railway system operators through railway simulation and, on the other, the provision of a methodology for managing railway system safety based on risk assessment;

IMPACT-1 – Indicator Monitoring for a new railway PAradigm in seamlessly integrated Cross modal Transport chains: Phase 1 – the creation of an integrated subsystem which represents all Shift2Rail innovations;

In early September the programme was extended to include the following projects:

IN2STEMPO – Innovative Solutions in Future Stations, Energy Metering and Power Supply – aiming to define solutions for the management of smart energy systems and future solutions for stations;

CONNECTIVE – Connecting and Analysing the Digital Transport Ecosystem – which will define a new level of interoperability and access to services and transport data systems in a multi-modal environment;

FR8HUB – Real-time information applications and energy efficient solutions for rail freight – which aims to increase the quota of freight stock on rolling stock thanks to the increased efficiency of the transport systems, with particular reference to terminals and hubs;

IMPACT-2 – Indicator Monitoring for a new railway PAradigm in seamlessly integrated Cross modal Transport chains: Phase 2 – aiming to assess and increase the effects on mobility and the environment of the technological solutions and the developments made in the context of the Shift2Rail project;

PON3through the DATTILO (High-Tech Transport and Logistics District) in Campania and the TOP IN laboratory (Innovative Optical-electronic Technologies) in Campania:

the MODISTA project, which deals with innovative solutions for remote monitoring and preventive diagnostics of infrastructures and fleets of vehicles in order to raise their availability, efficiency and safety levels; the project was concluded at the end of June;

the OPTOFER project, which covers the application of the innovative optical-electronic technologies for railway infrastructure monitoring and diagnostics; the project was brought to a close at the end of March;

the FERSAT project, which studies a railway signalling system suitable for urban environments, based on the innovative use of satellite technologies and their integration with existing technologies; the project was concluded at the end of June;

the NEMBO project, which studies and tests highly efficient and innovative embedded systems for railway applications; this project ended at the end of the third quarter.